It is not uncommon for an enterprise to have hundreds, if not thousands of computer systems. These computer systems typically operate under the control of software, including systems software (i.e., operating systems, drivers, etc.) and application software.
For these enterprises, proper management of software distribution and software updates on their computer systems can be a complex, expensive, daunting and time-consuming task. For example, an enterprise may need to track the software installed on each of the computer systems, including the version and release of the software, as well as the other resources that are on the computer systems. Tracking the software installed on each of the computer systems enables the enterprise to determine where to deploy additional software, software updates, and other resources as required, as well as to determine whether it is in compliance with the applicable software licenses.
Many enterprises utilize commercially available software management products to manage the distribution of software on their computer systems. While these software management products provide adequate software distribution and software update management features that allow scheduling program (e.g., software program) execution on a specific date and time, the software management products are not able to guarantee a time when a program is actually executed on a computer system. This becomes a problem for the enterprises that rely on time-sensitive applications and, thus, do not allow or permit changes to be made to their computer systems outside of designated periods of time.